+ Visit Cardiff FC for Latest News, Transfer Gossip, Fixtures and Match Results |
It's a serious question, no facetious undertones. This is what i'm seeing so far; Periods of whacking the ball long, over the head of our most creative player (Tomlin) and straight back to the opposition. All of our players taking way to many touches on the ball which slows everything down and allows the opposition to reset. Incredibly slow build up play which generally results in the ball going long as there is zero option. Then, for very small portions of the game we'll press a bit higher and move the ball quicker, then it'll stop. I haven't the first idea what he's attempting to do. In general it's poor, although by now we should be able to see what he's attempting to implement. I'm not to sure that he knows himself.
I don't think he's picked the same formation twice.
He's walked into an already failing unit.
Neil Harris' post-match comments say much the same:
Cardiff City manager Neil Harris told BBC Sport Wales:
"First half, got to be honest, we were not very good, we were poor with the ball.
"We said at half time, let's simplify the plan and do what the conditions dictated.
"We went a bit more direct and in the second half it was everything our fans want to see, a team who have a right go.
"We played in the right areas and looked a real threat, if the referee does his job properly we probably win the game. I felt it was definitely a penalty on Lee Tomlin.
"I thought at the time it was a stonewall penalty."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51072961
I don't agree, when we're losing he starts pressing a bit higher and the tempo becomes a bit quicker, it's still error strewn and clumpy but a bit better than the morrison long ball, midfielders taking to many touches and knocking the ball backwards approach that seems to be the tactics at 0-0.
Lets see where we are after the summer window.
Exactly. Take away a couple of 90+ minute goals earlier in the season and we'd have been a lot closer to relegation places by time Warnock left, we're now transitioning into something more sustainable in the middle of the season without being able to bring in new faces. All we can say is Harris is getting better results than Warnock was this year.
Fine but if he is unsure what is wrong with a couple of loans.?
There are plenty of good young players in the Premiership.
We should be trying to convince them that first team championship football until the end of the season would be a benefit for both parties.
By the summer Harris should be clear what/who we should be looking for
He said he changed it because that’s what the conditions dictated.
You say yourself the players themselves take too many touches, anyone who watches us could tell you that, so until we can get players in important positions who don’t need so many touches then I’m sure we will all, Harris included, continue to be frustrated.
Blakey on the radio said we had the full backs pushed forward, some nice play by Nelson, Morrison and Pack to create space for Morrison to step forward, which he does, but then instead of using the full backs he smashes the ball over Tomlins head. I can’t believe for one second that’s what Harris wants him to do if the fullbacks are pushed forward.
We've seen flashes, for example second goal against Sheffield Wednesday a couple of weeks ago, but development of individuals or performance has not been obvious. Improvements were always going to be a slow process and seen, if Harris is capable of bringing them about, in last two months of season/though summer. Until then we have a very expensive midtable squad and a slightly more complex impression of Neil Warnock's legacy here.
The conditions? Was it windy or was the pitch boggy? I could understand this statement if it was 15-20 years ago, most pitches are fantastic now. He could get the players playing quicker in my opinion, it's down to him that players aren't allowed to carry the ball from midfield or allow the opposition to worry about them rather than the other way round. He's very conservative, another manager who believes in playing in the final third, although sometimes we do try and play for small parts of the game and the movement isn't there. He obviously thinks that the players aren't up to it, i disagree, i think that he could try and implement a more progressive style. He just isn't about that.
Pitch was bobbly
https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...am-1-1-cardiff
I think that we could start by rolling the ball into midfield occasionally and trying to build quickly, it doesn't have to be a polar transition, i think that the players we have could cope with that from time to time. The biggest problem we have is options for players who are on the ball, there aren't any. Harris has to be brave on occasion and allow players a bit of freedom to create space in order to play through the lines. He doesn't want to know, and i can't see that changind even when he has had a couple of windows. I don't think he's up to it, time will tell, but if he was looking at a different style and approach then he'd be experimenting with it now a little.
The way we talk sometimes is like the players we have don't possess enough ability to hold onto the ball, Harris is pushing that line in order to suit his own footballing beliefs in my opinion.